Hi Phoenix, thanks so much for all of the great information. I didnât read through all 26 pages, but did scan through quite a bit of the info. My husband and I have been toggling back and forth between the Beautyrest True energy Kailey due to the plush feeling with the gel foam, but recently discovered we may like the icomfort savant or revolution. now we are doing our research and came across this blog. We like others, are not happy with the price of $2200 - $2500 for a mattress, but are not aware of mattress companies in Indiana we could work with to get a better product or cheaper price. What would you recommend? Thanks!!!
I was calling around to local stores today to see what kind of mattress they sell so I can test them out and I asked about the Icomfort to see if they had any in stock to test out ⌠The salesman said that they know longer carry them because the gel in them will just adjust to your body tempature so It doesnât have any cooling affect⌠anybody have heard of this?
Hi Pooswa,
While the iComforts arenât really worth considering or even testing anyway because you wonât be able to match them to a mattress that has better value and uses better quality materials ⌠the story that is being âprovidedâ by the salesman is only partly true. You can read more about the main cooling technologies used in mattresses at the end of post #4 here and as you can see the heat conductive gel used in the iComfort can help until the temperature difference evens out. It can be a piece of the larger sleeping temperature puzzle in other words but no material or technology by itself is the whole puzzle.
You can also read more about various different gel foam materials in post #2 here. While they can all play a role in how cool a mattress sleeps (along with many other materials that have cooling abilities) ⌠there are many other factors involved in regulating your sleeping temperature on a mattress including the type of foam layers or materials used in the mattress, the ticking and quilting materials, the mattress protector you use, and the sheets and bedding, as well as the environment, and how deeply you sink into the mattress. Each piece of the puzzle either adds to or takes away from the overall effect of the mattress and they all combine together into the overall ability of the sleeping system to ventilate and regulate humidity and temperature.
Phoenix
Great site, and obviously valuable due to your knowledge of the subject.
I look at a lot of different sites in a lot of different areas, because itâs nice to measure and average out opinions.
I recently looked at the iComfort, Applause Firm I think it is. Background. We were advised against buying our Kingsdown 3/4 system, because the retailer said the newer Blend model would be a better match. Fast forward 3 years, he was right. They also donât sell them anymore. Since Serta is now number 1 and pulling away, I can only imagine they got a better deal. At any rate, our bad choice was not their fault, so I returned to them.
We tried out many models and brands. Our favorite traditional mattress was the Perfect Sleeper. A little firmer than we used to get, probably due to our age (and maybe a few extra pounds)
Our favorite model in the store, was the new iComfort Applause Firm.
We are in Vermont, where I know there is a manufacturer at the Southern end of the state.
I just guess I was surprised by the continued negativity towards the new Serta line. Yes, there may just be better and more local. But I usually prefer to read reviews that say something like âWhile the Serta is a good quality line, you might try XXX or XYZ, which we feel is a better valueâ Something like that. I can understand fully if a review determines a product just plain sucks. But for us, we donât see it that way at all. Trust me, weâre in Vermont, where everyone thinks everything made anywhere else sucks 
I went into a Sleepys weeks ago and asked if they had the Icomfort. The salesman got a bit defensive about why they dont carry it and how every manufacutere wants to be in Sleepyâs, etc. So got a wierd vibe. Then while searching for a bed that my wife and I could both live with we looked at MySide mattresses. I did a search online when I got home and stumbled upon this site. THANK YOU for all of the information here!
So after visiting a few department stores it seemed the only mattresses we liked were the Icomfort and Simmons Comforpedic. At Boscovs the king would have been over 3000 in either model.
Decided to hit some of the local manufacturers suggested here. We went to Posttstown Magicsleeper. We couldnât settle on a mattress and even the custom ones that had different choices for each side. My wife liked the Symbol Response G the bst. Not sure how it would compare to the various Icomfort models but it is obviously made to compete with it, looks almost exactly the same. I was going to go to Verlo too but we liked this one mattress, they had a latex version too but we liked this one the best. It was $1500 for a king. The only downside was that we had to wait a week for delivery but well worth the wait. The last two nights of sleeping on it have been tremendous! I hate feeling like I am overpaying for something and this site really helped me wit hthat. Now I feel like I got a good deal and good quality. It has a 15 year warranty. The guy said he would work with me if I didnât like it since I was hesitant to switch away from an innerspring style mattress.
Anyway, so far I am very happy with my purchase and this seemed like the best thread for my input since we seemed to like the Icomfort best and didnât like the price of it. The Symbol Response G had a 9" and 11" choice. We got the 11".
Hi iBuyer,
I know there are lots of review sites all over the internet but from the time I started this site I wanted to provide more of an analysis than reviews so that consumers would have a way to measure and compare the quality and value of the materials that are used in mattresses which is really the only way to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses. You can see some of my thoughts about reviews in post #4 here.
Iâm not sure if you mean the âcontinued negativityâ about the Serta (and for that matter the other major brands as well) on this site or if you mean on others as well but it is with good reason. they use many low quality materials in their mattresses and then sell them at premium prices that would be typical for much higher quality and more costly materials. Based on meaningful comparisons of the materials in their mattresses ⌠Serta is not a good quality/value line and it would not be helpful for me or in line with the goals of the site for me to say it was when the evidence indicates otherwise. The goal here is to call a spade a spade and not to âgive inâ to the more generic and rather meaningless descriptions that are so common all over the internet.
Serta certainly hit a home run with their iComfort line in combination with their marketing and being the first to create a buzz and popularize gel foams but that certainly doesnât mean they are good quality. Even the lowest quality materials in the right layering can be very comfortable in the managed environment of a showroom. The problem is that low quality foams donât stay that way for very long.
Quality in a mattress is definable and quantifiable and for me to provide the same generic and âno offenseâ descriptions that so many other sites do would make this site redundant very quickly. The goal here is to provide more meaningful information that is more relevant and factual for those who want a more accurate way to âmeasureâ quality and value than the marketing information and opinions that are meant more to âconvinceâ and sell mattresses more than educate and inform .
Would you buy a piece of furniture that you knew had nice veneer over low quality particle board if its price was the same or more than a similar piece that was made of good quality real wood throughout if they both had similar functions and performance ? Would you call it good quality or value at that price?
Phoenix
Hi BensonDubois99,
Congratulations on your new mattress 
Did you happen to ask about the density of the memory foam layer used in the Symbol? Was the price you paid for a mattress only or for the mattress/foundation set?
I know the base layers use a good quality 1.9 lb polyfoam and the gel foam is G-Flex which is good quality gel memory foam made by Flexible Foam but I donât know the density of the memory foam layers they use.
In any case ⌠it is better quality/value than the equivalent Serta and since it also meets your needs and preferences or PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) ⌠Iâd say you did well.
Phoenix
Appreciate the honesty Phoenix, and I also appreciate the wealth of knowledge you have on the subject.
No question, I donât enjoy paying top dollar while getting something thatâs inferior. Unfortunately, not everyone has a local manufacturer nearby, and some of the prices do get out of hand.
Thereâs always a better product, and sometimes, products arenât as good as the sum of their parts. Sometimes, they turn out better. I know many people, including myself, that have had mattresses for many years, that didnât wear out or cause sleepless nights, and those were major brands.
The only direct comparison I can make with foam beds is between Novaform and the iComfort. Without question, Iâd much rather pay the lower price. But having been on both, I would never purchase the Novaform.
Iâm a bit particular with what I buy, and have always cherished informative sites such as this one that offer great information. Kudos to you for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I still have limited choices here, but at least youâve done a great job of making me more informed.
Appreciate the site.
As I was looking around our area for some of the names youâve mentioned on this site. I came across a local Serta retailer. Seems there is product confusion, surprising no?
They are selling a 10" memory foam mattress, queen size, for $534. A 10 year non-prorated warranty on this item. I suspect that this is the product seen at Samâs Club and Amazon, not their newer iComfort products.
I didnât ask about the density of the foam. To be honest I didnât study this site in as much detail as you offer. My feeling was that I was dealing with a reputable company, family owned and operated and a mattress with a 15 year warranty. I am glad to hear your input about what you do know about the foam they use, makes me feel better even though I didnât ask myself. They did have a display piece there that showed the different foams used in it.
I got no indication whatsoever that I would have a problem down the road with this company. I was talking to one of the brothers that owns it. He was very low key and really didnât offer much information although I probably didnât ask very detailed questions either. They had so many options there that I was dizzy by the time I was done.
I went with my gut that your recommendation was good based on the incredible amount of knowledge and research you have done. I think Verlo would have been a fine option as well. We were only about 30 minutes away but figured we were happy so we could stop looking finally. They wanted $120 to deliver and Magicsleeper was only $70 for what itâs worth. I like that Verlo seemed to only sell what they made. I skipped Croydon although they were closer to me just based on some of the replies I saw here and how they seem a bit cagey giving up information.
I paid $1499.00 before tax, delivered almost 2 hours(he waived the delivery fee when I aked if he could do any better with the price.) That included the base. Also I appreciated how honest the owner was. He flat out said I probably wouldnât need new box springs when we were looking at innerspring mattresses. He strongly recommended more of a platfor base for the Gel type mattress. I had no problem believing him since he didnât try to push a new box spring set on me previously.
I also read sleeplikethedead.comâs reviews on many different mattresses which was also helpful.
Thanks again for this site. I will recommend it highly and just wanted to give a little back and tell my story. So far, very very happy with my new bed!
Hi iBuyer,
Thatâs very true but there are also dozens of independent smaller manufacturers that sell through better sleep shops that do provide the details of the materials that are in their mattresses and also have much better quality and value and are much more transparent than Serta. Almost every area of the country has these available if you research the retailers along the lines of this article before you begin the process of choosing a mattress. Following the steps outlined in this post will greatly improve the odds of ending up with a much higher quality/value mattress no matter which area of the country you live in and whether or not there is a local manufacturer close to you.
This is actually not accurate and a mattress is exactly as good as the sum of its parts and construction. This also has nothing to do with the suitability of any mattresses for the needs and preferences of each person because it is also true that low quality materials can be just as âcomfortableâ as higher quality materials ⌠they just wonât last as long. There are also many factors that control the durability of a mattress (that you can read about in post #2 here). As you can see ⌠the same mattress will last for different lengths of time for different people but this doesnât change that the quality and value of a mattress is much more definable than the mainstream industry would want you to believe. Even low quality materials (just like particle board furniture) can last longer for different people and may even be suitable for a particular use or budget but that doesnât change the fact that it is still poor value and that choosing a different mattress that used the same lower quality materials (or better) at a lower price and that was just as suitable for the needs and preferences of a particular individual would still be better value.
Again ⌠these are not apples to apples comparisons and I consider both to be relatively poor value. They donât use the same materials and the Novaform should be selling for lower prices. I wouldnât purchase either of them and there are better quality/value choices available in both budget ranges. All you have to do is make apples to apples comparisons between either of them and other mattresses that use similar materials and layering.
Thank you
If a retailer is âconfusingâ the Serta 10" mattress you are mentioning with an iComfort (or claiming they are the same) then they donât deserve to have the business of an educated consumer (or any consumer for that matter). Like all manufacturers ⌠Serta makes many different mattresses but any of them can be evaluated by following the guidelines of this site and knowing the details of the layers that are in them. For example ⌠you will see an 8" Serta memory foam mattress here that uses 2" of 2.5 lb memory foam and 1.5 lb polyfoam as a base layer which is the lowest quality memory foam you will find anywhere and the base layer is also cheap base foam and yet its selling for $799 queen. It should be substantially less and is directly comparable in quality terms to some of the cheapest memory foam mattresses available. You can see my comments about the Serta Roma you are referring to in post #3 here.
If a mattress is an iComfort ⌠it will say iComfort and the details of the layering of the iComfort lineup are known (you can see an analysis of all of them all in post #11 here).
Phoenix
Hi BensonDubois99,
Thanks for sharing all the extra details that led you to buying the mattress you did. These types of reviews that include some of the reasons why you made the choices you did can be very helpful to others down the road
Phoenix
I went back and read your rather thorough review which I hadnât seen before. Now that Iâve revisited the store, I find I confused myself with their myriad of names.
The two favorites were from the iSeries, not the iComfort. Our list at that store had gotten down to the iSeries Applause Firm and the Celebration firm, both of which have their new Duet Coil system, not foam, as a base.
As noted by you, we will go to the Williston Mattress Depot to see the Boyd and Natura lines, as well as a latex bed. If you have any idea which models would be similar to the Serta beds, shoot away.
One thing I forgot to add is that the Serta retailer will give us a 30% off anything they sell, in addition to the free pillows and 10% they have this month. So given other monetary constraints this year, that does weigh in on the decision.
So this weekend, weâre off to look at the Boyd line and the others they carry.
Addendum.
Itâs going to take me longer to research properly than the time I have been allotted to do this (read, hurry up and get us a new bed, NOW). LOL
Now Iâve become hooked on reading you list here https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/latex-mattress
Of course, having something this large and heavy shipped sight unseen is a bit scary.
We are definitely not wedded to memory foam, so Iâve begun to look at Latex as well.
Given my above likes, could you steer me in some direction as to an equivalent latex mattress? Possibly the best supplier nearer me that does both types. Right now Iâm reading the Sleep EZ factory site, and theyâre some 2000 miles from me Nice site though
I just have to say this Phoenix.
Iâve spent some time this morning reading older threads, then researching the specs and layers of various beds sold in this area. Iâve begun looking for cheaper support foam that could break down, comparing models. Iâve learned more about mattresses in a couple of days on your site that Iâve ever known about them period!
Iâm preparing a list of questions, plus organizing my notes, for our next mattress hunt this weekend. Look what youâve done to me! Iâm becoming a mattress geek trainee
Congrats on maintaining consistency and credibility here. Youâve won me over.
Hi iBuyer,
One of the reasons I started this site was because my own research quickly showed me how difficult it was to find a way to measure quality and value in any meaningful way and how in the mainstream industry, the quality of materials and construction was secondary and constantly being eroded or incrementally traded away for the sake of increased profit margins all along the supply chain. This is often in response to the demands of investment groups and shareholders at every step for ever increasing levels of profit from leveraged buyouts and to pay for advertising budgets and marketing and for âinfluenceâ. In most cases ⌠the product that is being sold by major manufacturers (and many smaller ones as well) to their primary customers (the larger mass market outlets) is not mattresses at all but profit margins. This is also true of foam and component suppliers whose major customers are the larger mattress manufacturers. In both instances ⌠mattresses are just a means to an end.
The major manufacturers are accountable to their primary customer base which is mostly corporate chain stores or big box stores and much less accountable to actual customers that buy a mattress. The effect of reputation is often secondary to marketing in the eyes (and buying habits) of consumers and they are well aware of this and cultivate it. They know that a few years after a mattress purchase âall will be forgottenâ and that in most cases the glitz of ânewâ mattress lines will overwhelm any dissatisfaction that consumers may have with their old ones and once again their new mattress purchase will âfollow the advertisingâ. They also do whatever they can to limit the distribution and exposure of their smaller competitors through pressuring their retailers to provide more floor space and focus more on selling their mattresses (often using various forms of kickbacks or spiff) and less on the smaller manufacturers. They also do everything they can to make meaningful comparisons between mattresses impossible and often sell their own mattresses under different names in different stores to make comparisons more difficult and make it easier for a retailer to claim âour mattresses are not the same and are better than the ones down the streetâ.
Where they donât have multiple model names that make comparison shopping impossible, they will often use controlled pricing under the threat of removing the right of a retailer to sell their mattresses if they sell for less than they are âallowedâ to. There is also a great deal of âcollusionâ inside the industry among the âold boys networkâ about how they will âsplitâ their market. Of course most smaller retailers give in to this if their livelihood depends on âbrand namesâ and âmarketing storiesâ which is how they were trained and train their employees to sell mattresses. The lure of the high profit margins that are available by selling lower quality mattresses at higher prices can be very attractive and mattresses are among the highest profit margin items of furniture that is sold. Consumers end up paying the price in more ways than just what they pay for a mattress.
Marketing stories have become so effective in this consumer marketplace that it overwhelms any real quality considerations ⌠especially in an industry that has little interest in providing any real information about how to even know what quality really means. How many people for example even know that the quality of polyfoam is primarily measured in foam density or if they did would know which density is good quality and which isnât? I would guess less than 1% (and thatâs probably being generous). In this environment, stories that use inflated claims have replaced genuine information as the basis of most buying decisions. In most cases itâs the sizzle thatâs being sold instead of the steak. It also doesnât help that most mattress information sites either have a vested interest (often hidden) in selling a specific mattress, are mostly about google rankings to increase advertising profit, have little knowledge of mattresses and materials and just repeat more âgenericâ information that is repeated everywhere else, or are so concerned with âstepping on toesâ that what they say is so watered down that it has little meaning any more. In the mainstream industry ⌠marketing stories have replaced real information and every year or two a new âstoryâ has replaced the old one. As an example ⌠the current ânewâ story is all about gel foams and all the stories that are connected to them.
I think too that one of the biggest problems is that even consumers that have learned how to look for quality can have a very difficult time because the industry as a whole doesnât provide enough information about the mattresses they sell to make quality information easy to find. They will often buy out of frustration and fatigue because these problems are so endemic in the industry and there is a mattress store on every corner that sells in the same way. How do you find the gems that are different when everything can seem the same? If you ask the majority of retailers about what is really in their mattresses they will often look at you with eyes rolling or as if you are crazy to expect them to know the answers to the questions you are asking.
The top 15 manufacturers currently control about 86% of the industry and the hundreds of others share the remaining 14% (the updated figures are here and itâs still increasing). The top 5 control about 3/4 of this. Some of these major players even share common ownership (such as Tempurpedic who just bought Sealy and the common ownership of Simmons and Serta). In addition to this ⌠most retailers themselves donât understand the concept of quality materials and are dependent on selling mainstream mattresses because these are the names that consumers know about and this is how their suppliers have trained them to sell their mattresses. They have convinced many consumers that âoff brandsâ (meaning smaller manufacturers that donât advertise as much, sell more through local referrals and word of mouth, and that arenât as well known) somehow make inferior mattresses. In some cases this is even true because some smaller manufacturers are more opportunistic and do make poor quality/value mattresses as well and also âsell the storyâ. In some cases their story is even that they sell âfactory directâ which may be true in terms of fact but the benefits of their factory direct business model may not be evident as they also use lower quality materials and sell for higher prices than most âlegitimateâ factory direct manufacturers that are what I call âmattress peopleâ instead of âmoney machinesâ or âmoney machine wannabesâ.
It always a great surprise for me to find a smaller factory direct manufacturer who is still focused on making quality mattresses with great value and an even bigger surprise to find retailers who understand the importance of providing meaningful information about their mattresses although the number of these is slowly growing. Some âmore courageousâ retailers will even go as far as only selling mattresses made by manufacturers that provide this information. They make manufacturers âcompeteâ for their floor space based on the real quality and value of the mattresses they make. They do their homework and do meaningful research on what they sell but these are much fewer and far between and they certainly go âagainst the grainâ of their industry. Their integrity doesnât let them do anything else but they can have a more difficult time succeeding in the environment of the industry today.
So Iâm looking forward to your questions ⌠and itâs great to have one more âeducated consumerâ that will be asking better questions and helping to âeducateâ the retailers about what quality and value really mean. While one site run by one person is only a drop in the bucket ⌠step by step as consumers learn to ask different questions and become more knowledgeable and âvote with their walletâ ⌠I believe the industry can slowly change for the better.
In a lighter vein (see the âstoryâ of our origins here)⌠perhaps The Mattress Underground (in the larger group sense) really can prevent the âalien takeoverâ of spineless beings who make poor quality mattresses and help a sick and tired humanity reach itâs goal of finding âpeaceful sleep and fully functional wakefulnessâ.
Thanks for your comments and for âinspiringâ this post and Iâm looking forward to your questions along the way
Phoenix
Phoenix-
I have read over a lot of the forms here and I am a little overwhelmed as there is so much helpful information here.
My husband and I have had a king pillowtop mattress for the past 8 years. About 3 years ago we had to turn it in for warranty issues as it was sagging SO bad. They did that with no issues, once we took all the necessary pictures and everything and took the mattress back to our home state in Michigan from Kentucky since there wasnât a local distributitor near us. Frustrating but we couldnât afford a new mattress at the time. So we got a replacement free. Well it is having the same issues and now my head and back is hurting daily when I wake up. So we are looking into a memory foam icomfort revolution or something similar (latex maybe after reading your information).
My question is I need help knowing if I am speading our money on the best purchase for our needs.
I am looking at icomfort or Denver Mattress Snowmass Plush Only need Mattress as our bed doesnt allow for anything underneath as we have a bedframe that is solid wood and has drawers underneath. Went to look at Snowmass $1349 plus tax. Think this would be a good fit for us or do you have a list of manufactures that you would have us call for Louisville, Ky area? Also what do you think of sleep number beds? I have heard/seen commericals but havent went to see them myself.
My husband
215 lbs and 5â 10".
Mostly Side sleeper
Retains Heat
I am
145 lbs and 5â 4"
Side Sleeper and am always COLD
Any input would greatly be appreciated.
Hi Overwhelmedsleeper,
Post #1 here (and the links it includes to read) has a series of steps that can dramatically increase the odds of buying a high quality and value mattress in any budget range.
Most importantly it will help you eliminate your worst choices (such as major brands or most chain stores) and help you know how to tell which are the better ones (both in terms of a manufacturer or retailer and a specific mattress).
Serta (that makes the icomfort) is one of the âmajor brandsâ that I would avoid unless there is a particularly compelling reason that they would be worth considering for you. You can see more information about the iComfort lineup in post #11 here.
Denver Mattressâ âmostly latexâ mattresses are usually among the better quality/value choices in most areas where they do business. A forum search on âSnowmassâ (you can just click this) will bring up many posts and lots more information about them.
My thoughts about airbeds are in this article but they can be summarized as âfor most people they are a waste of moneyâ.
The links in the post I linked earlier includes some generic information about how different heights and heights and sleeping positions need different types of mattresses and on which types of mattresses and materials can be cooler than others (and there is more information about sleeping cool in post #2 here) but these are more generic guidelines and because of the many variables involved ⌠personal testing specifically for pressure relief, alignment, and your other personal preferences will always be more accurate than a âformulaâ or âtheory at a distanceâ.
Yes ⌠the better options or at least âpossibilitiesâ Iâm aware of in the Louisville area are listed in post #3 here
Hope this helps
Phoenix
Oh my goodness Phoenix, can I ever relate to the âbackboneâ and the âmisfitâ comments. I was definitely aware of the T & S combo, as well as the other S & S combo. Anyone that follows venture and vulture equity follows these things.
A quick look at any retailer would show people what has the highest margins and rate of turnover. Itâs never surprised me why thereâs a mattress seller on corners and in every plaza. Retailers large and small donât devote that much room to shelf space without a good return. Costco and others included. Thatâs why you see fewer and smaller products in quick stops, and more and more wine.
But I digressâŚ
I know youâre a huge fan of the latex mattresses, and youâve certainly given ample reason for me to look at them as well. There are a couple of local retailers that sell them around here, as Iâve mentioned. Iâll be as selfish as I can right now and see if I can pick your brain for what you think of the models Iâve mentioned thus far. When I find something we like, then maybe I can go to one of the preferred manufacturers you list and see how they can match it or approximate it.
Itâs the same in many industries today, has been for decades. I noticed awhile ago that my favorite beer just wasnât cutting it. It didnât have the same taste, not as smooth or consistent. Then I found out they stopped buying those expensive imported hops. They saved quite a bit of money, and ticked off a lot of people. But they donât care, profits were up, and they controlled a huge share of the market already. Consumers are already drinking stinky beer, so why not?
Hey, get to work finding me a good mattress match
Hi iBuyer,
I looked back at the thread and the ones youâve mentioned that you liked are the iSeries Applause firm and the iSeries Celebration firm. Hopefully these are the two you wanted me to comment on?
It would probably be more âaccurateâ and helpful the other way around where you actually test these mattresses and then let me know which ones your body tells you are similar and then include these as part of identifying a possible âpatternâ of mattresses that you like to see if can help you identify what properties all the ones you like have in common.
Post #2 here talks about the difficulties involved in trying to match one mattress to another based on specs alone (which really isnât possible unless both mattresses use the same or at least functionally similar layering and materials) as opposed to a common set of more objective standards. There are really only three ways to do this which you can see in (see post #2 here).
None of these 3 methods are really possible in the case of the iSeries because they donât provide the âcomfort specsâ of every layer of the mattress (that have to do with the softness/firmness of every layer and component which are different from âquality specsâ which have to do with their durability and quality) so you wonât be able to exactly duplicate it by materials. You also wonât be able to compare it with another mattress in âreal timeâ unless a store had both the iSeries you liked and another specific mattress you wanted to compare. There also arenât a lot of mattresses that have been both designed and tested to have the same specific feel and performance as the iSeries where a retailer would be able to confidently say that âthis mattressâ feels 90% the same as the iSeries you want to duplicate for the large majority of people.
Because of this ⌠itâs much more effective to rate every mattress you test against a common set of more objective standards and then see how each one measures up to your individual criteria rather than to each other.
Having said all that ⌠since you seem to like both the iSeries Applause firm and the iSeries Celebration firm there are a few very general âpointersâ you can draw from this.
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The first of these is that both mattresses are on the firmer end of the range and use relatively thin layers of soft foam in combination with some firmer foam in the comfort layers. The applause uses 1.5" of soft foam on top (the comfort foam) before you reach a thin 1" layer of much firmer polyfoam (the support foam) and then there is some softer memory foam and the softer upper part of the duet coil under this before you âreachâ the final firm part of the Duet coil (when both springs kick in). They ârateâ this one as a 4. The Celebration has 2" of âsofterâ foam on top (the combination of memory foam and comfort foam) before reaching the firmer 2" support foam and because this firmer foam is thicker and the comfort layers are also thicker ⌠they would reduce the compression of the innerspring below it so the soft part of the spring also wouldnât be as soft. The rating here is 2. Because they both use the same innerspring for deep support ⌠this would indicate that a slightly firmer than average comfort layer/transition layer (a slightly shallower than average pressure relieving cradle) would probably be better for you but not so thin that you canât sink into it enough and the cradle is too shallow that it wouldnât adequately relieve pressure. Your preference for the Applause also indicates that ânot really firm or thinâ in the comfort layers may work best.
Beyond this ⌠there really isnât much you can use to compare the iSeries to other mattresses that use different materials and layering except by assigning a rating for pressure relief, support and alignment, and any of the other preferences that are important to you and then compare other mattresses you test with each of the same criteria.
If other mattresses indicate a similar âpatternâ meaning that the ones you prefer have slightly firmer than average comfort layers (but not really thin) over firm support cores then at least this could provide a guideline if you ended up ordering a mattress online. It may also indicate a preference for an innerspring support core which has a different âfeelâ from a either a latex or polyfoam support core (even though they can be just as or more supportive than an innerspring) but you can confirm this if the âfeelâ of several polyfoam or latex support core mattresses just donât âfeelâ as good for you (they would have different levels of âspringinessâ) even though they may provide similar support and keep you in alignment just as well.
A âfirmâ mattress can either be a thinner layer of soft foam which you âgo throughâ enough to feel the firmness of the layers below them or a slightly thicker firmer comfort layer where the firmness comes more from the comfort layer itself. Itâs this second type of firmness that would be more of the âcauseâ of the firmness in both of these and which you could use as a guideline.
There is no right or wrong in this ⌠only finding a mattress that provides good pressure relief, spinal alignment, and has the other preferences you want. Many different material combinations can provide your âneedsâ and then itâs just a matter of deciding which of them best match your other preferences including of course value and durability.
Hope this helps ⌠and when you test other mattresses which seem to match your criteria just as well (or better) then looking at the layering of these as well may provide further insight into the general layering patterns that work best for you. Of course the best âguidelineâ for an online mattress purchase is one that uses the same materials and has a simpler layering that needs less âtranslationâ between materials and more complex layering patterns.
Phoenix
Thanks again Phoenix, thanks for spending the time to write quality comments to each poster.
I think I get it now, and youâve given me a better way to approach the process. The biggest help youâve given me is to concentrate more on the quality of materials than anything else. I now understand fully how a bed can go from being âThe Oneâ, to a bed that just broke down and weâre looking again bed.
Iâm at the lower than middle price point now, so my ultimate decision will be more limited than could otherwise be.
It will be an interesting process.